(2 of 2)
As Goldwater must have known, the phrase revives memories of the McCarthy era, smacks not only of weak foreign policy but of treason within the highest circles of American Government. Why did Goldwater use it? "Actually," he explained to newsmen, "that attack was suggested by Nixon and Herbert Hoover Sr." A spokesman for former President Hoover, 90 years old and ailing in his Manhattan apartment, later said that the old man had believed for 30 years that the Democrats are "soft on Communism" and might well have suggested the phrase to Goldwater. But Nixon flatly denied that he had had anything to do with it. "I made no such suggestion," he said. "There is no question of President Johnson's loyalty or anti-Communism." At a press conference, Lyndon scorned the charge as "the product of some third-string speechwriter," said caustically of Barry: "The new and frightening voice of the Republican Party is merely trying out this charge to see if it works. My own advice would be to drop it."
"I Believe This." Such Goldwater talk presumably has great appeal to his diehard, ultraconservative admirers. But it is hard to see how it could be winning votes from among the moderate Republicans and the independents he so desperately needs. It almost seems that Goldwater, whether consciously or unconsciously, has given up all hope of election and has decided to go down fighting, along with his hard-core following. He denies this: he says he is convinced that there are more conservatives of his own stamp in the U.S. than anyone realizes. He thinks his campaign should be keyed to these voters, not to moderate Republicans or independents. "I believe this," he has told his staff, "and if I'm wrong in this judgment, then I'm wrong in my whole approach to politics."
At this point in the campaign, it seems all too obvious that Goldwater's approach is wrong indeed. Of course, he has a right to his convictions, and if he and his future alone were involved, there might not be too much cause for concern. But the way things are going, he seems quite likely to drag down the Republican Party with him.